Pipe-line booster



Sept., 7, 1937.` R. KLEMM PLPE LINE BOOSTER Filed Sep't. 5o, 1935 By Wi y Arm/Mfrs,

Patented Sept. 7, 1937 UNITED STAT-ss;

PIPE-'LINE BOOSTER Russell Klemm, Ridgewood, N. J.,

assigner to De Laval Steam Turbine Company, Trenton, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application September 30, 1933, Serial No. 691,632

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a booster arrangement for a pipe line and more particularly an arrangement adapted for a pipe line for the transportation of gas involving the use of centrifugal compressors.

In transporting gas ,through long pipe lines centrifugal compressors driven by electric motors may be used to advantage, pressors being located within the pipe line.

a pipe line several hundred miles long a` largeV number of compressors may be used rather than one compressor at the beginning of the line, each compressor acting as a booster for the preceding one and substantially reducing the average pressure along the line Vto produce a given flow. For instance, the compression stations may beY located such distances apart that the loss in prese sure between the stations is, say, 100 pounds, while the maximum pressure in the line which would occur at the outlet of each compressor might be of the order of 500 pounds. The entire pipe line is preferably under comparatively high pressure in order to keep down its size and in order to obtain a small compression ratio in the booster pumps involving only two or three stages in each centrifugal compressor. Assuming iigures such .as those indicated the friction loss between the compressor stations would be 100 pounds so that the inlet pressure of each compressor would be 400 pounds and the discharge pressure 500 pounds.

When a pipe line such as this is operating at full capacity all of the compressors may be in operation. When a reduced flow is taking place it is, of course, desirable to shut down one or more units on account of the lower V'friction loss in the piping at low capacities. It has been customary when shutting down a compressor to bypass the gas around the compressor by theuse Y' of an arrangement of piping and manually operated valves. This is done since a stationary compressor would offer such tortuous passages for the ilow of gas that the losses would be of considerable magnitude, this being particularly true in the case of a multistage compressor.

In accordance with the `invention there is provided an automatic bypass which requires no outside piping or manipulation of valves., The bypass in accordance with the invention is` provided within a housing about the compressor, there being pro-vided valve controlled openings which automatically at the proper time permit how to take place.

The inventionwill be more fully understood from the following description read in conjunction with the centrifugal com- (Cl. 137-78) Y the accompanying drawing in which the ligure is a sectional view showing the portion of a pipe line adjacent a booster pump.

A housing 2 for the pump is made a part of the pipe line indicated at 4. Within this housing is located an electricmotor 6 which drives the rotor of a centrifugal compressor having two stages 8 and lo. The first stage receives the gas. at l2 and discharges into the passage I4 which delivers to the intake of the second stage l!) whence the compressed gas passes into the discharge passage I6 and then into a nozzle I8 carried by a diaphragm Ztl extending transversely across the housing 2. The nozzle I8 is so formed as to reduce the velocity of the gas with a consequent increase in pressiue; the net result being that the pressure on the discharge side is considerably larger than that on the intake side, the differ ence representing the average friction loss between the booster stations.

The diaphragm is provided with openings 22 furnished with seats for check valves 24 which open in the direction of flow through the line. Each check valve 24 is carried by a stem '26.sliding through a suitable guide and provided with a head 28 to limit the opening movements of the valves. The housing 2 is spaced from the compressor casing somewhat more than is usual in order to provide an enlarged bypass which will not involve losses due to constriction. compressor is operating all of the gas ilowing through the pipe line will be handled by it, the excess pressure on the high side causing the check valves 24 to close and remain closed. By reason of the construction which is provided very little pressure or velocity the check valves to open or closed positions.

If the compressor is stopped then the pressure to the right of the diaphragm 20 will rise so as to force the check valves open. By providing a suitable number of these valve controlled openings there will be offered very little resistance to flow of gas past the diaphragm, the resistance being very much less than that which would be encountered if the the stationary compressor which, as will be clear from the drawing, involves tortuous passages in which friction losses will be very great.

ately produce a closure of the check valves.

It will be seen from the above that there is provided a construction which requires no at- When the of flow is required to move gas lwere forced to flow through Cil tention in insuring a proper bypass for the gas whenever the compressor is shut down. Furthermore, the bypass is closed whenever the compressor is restarted. External pipe is entirely avoided and there need be no attendant present in the booster stations to manipulate valves. The motor 6 may, of course, be remotely controlled or automatically controlled depending upon the conditions of flow.

It will be clear that the invention may be embodied in other modications of construction without departing from its scope as dened in the following claims.

What I claim and desire Patent is:

1. In a pipe line for the transmission of elastic uid at high pressures, a housing in said line provided with a transverse diaphragm having an opening therein, a driving motor and centrifugal pump within the housing arranged to produce a ow through said opening, said opening being provided with an expanding nozzle whereby the pressure on the delivery side of the diaphragm substantially exceeds that on the opposite side, one or more auxiliary openings through said diaphragm, and means controlling said auxiliary to protect by Letters openings whereby when the pump is not operating flow takes place through the housing about said pump and through said auxiliary openings, said means comprising a check Valve opening in the direction of by-pass flow.

2. In a pipe line for the transmission of elastic uid at high pressures, a housing in said line provided with a transverse diaphragm having an opening therein, a driving motor and centrifugal pump within the housing arranged to produce a flow through said opening, said opening being provided with an expanding nozzle whereby the pressure on the delivery side of the diaphragm substantially exceeds that on the opposite side, one or more auxiliary openings through said diaphragm, and means controlling said auxiliary openings whereby when the pump is not operating ow takes place through the housing about said pump and through said auxiliary openings, said means comprising a check valve opening in the direction of by-pass flow and arranged to be moved without other than frictional restraint by diierences of pressure on opposite sides of said diaphragm.

RUSSELL KLEMM. 

